Banque des Territoires announces loans of 2 billion euros to renovate 10.000 schools

An envelope of 2 billion euros in loans will be made available to municipalities, departments and regions to finance the renovation work of 10.000 schools, colleges and high schools by 2027 via an "acceleration plan", announced Tuesday May 9 the Bank of Territories.

As part of a program called "EduRénov", the Banque des Territoires undertakes to finance 2 billion euros of work by 2027 with the objective of renovating 10.000 schools by carrying out "at least 40% of 'energy savings".

The Bank is also mobilizing "50 million euros in engineering loans over 5 years" to support local authorities in their energy performance diagnosis and then the preparation of their work programmes.

With the acceleration of climate change, the energy transformation of aging and energy-intensive public buildings is becoming a national priority.

But for lack of dedicated human and financial resources, elected officials "struggle to find the necessary information and funding", recognizes the Banque des Territoires, one of the departments of Caisse des Dépôts which supports local authorities.

The Bank also plans to draw up a "national charter" listing the criteria and best practices to be implemented, as well as simplified access to a "suggestions box".

A working meeting was held on Tuesday at the Ministry of Ecological Transition on the subject.

Asked about this meeting in the National Assembly, the Minister for Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu mentioned the "triple challenge" represented by the renovation of school buildings in France, or "some 130 million m2".

"A climate issue to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, a budgetary issue to ensure that communities can control the evolution of their energy bills (...) and finally a transmission issue, because when we learns in buildings that are too hot or too cold, the quality of the educational transmission does not happen in the same conditions", he recalled.

Among the tools available to local authorities, Christophe Béchu mentioned the already existing aid for "energy saving certificates", amounting to 220 million euros, the "heat fund" of 520 million euros or still the 2 billion euros of the "green fund", of which "200 of the first 1.300 winners concern renovations of school buildings".

In addition to the EduRénov plan, the "third-party financing" adopted at the end of March in Parliament is one of the novelties.

Tested for five years, this system will enable local authorities to have their work financed by a private or public third party and to reimburse part of the sums incurred by the energy savings made.